location for start up business

I'm just wondering where some of you guys think the ideal location is to start a tree service. I would like to stay in jersey but the cost of living is crazy.

shelbyville Indiana needs non-toppers. but then again, you might come here and see that the trees have years of topping done and deter you.
but hey, you you decide to come here, i am looking at getting back into tree work!

I was on the coast of Delaware this summer....Lewes area, it would be an excellent place for an arborist to start a company, My friend lives there and he said everyone has that beach mentality, its like pulling teeth to get a landscaper, tree guy or contractor to be punctual. I assume that if you offered prompt professional service your company would grow Fast, plus there are allot of nice properties in the area; vacation homes and residences, wealthy customers provide great client base.

The edge of any large metro area seems to be good.

What CoL expences are the worst, could you move in your general geographic area w/o having to live in the hood?

Here in the MKE area there are a number of small pockets where the housing prices have not taken off. One reason Diane and I found a home on 1.55 acres for under 180k,

In Hawaii I am booked 2 months in advance and turn down 3-5 jobs a week. Not same for all tree services, but most are pretty busy. Cost of living is pretty high...your average 7500 sq. ft. house lot with a 30 year old 1600 sq. ft. house will cost you about $750-800000 where I live. Sure glad I bought my house 12 years ago. But we have year around summer, 11 of the 14 known climate conditions, the world's highest sea cliffs, the world's best observatory, the nation's highest gas prices, and we are the most isolated land mass in the world.

Tree-Co...so your saying the coast of Delaware is not a good place for a guy from New Jersey to start a company??? I thought that all the vacation homes would be a plus for a tree and landscape company. Another plus is The cost of living is low in Delaware, in comparison to NJ, or Mass...the other thing I noticed was the companies in the area were really underdeveloped to what I'm use to in New England. You also must keep in mind...you are comparing service in Delaware to service in Georgia, while I am comparing service in Boston, or New Jersey to service in Delaware. Things move allot faster in the North East. Plus I would Love to live and work by the beach........

Dan...its cool, no offense was taken......After spending two weeks in lewes, My impression was the coast of deleware was a great spot to start a tree company, my buddy was actually trying to talk me into opening a brach in that area so i did a little research, If my wife would move i just may have went for the idea.......

Lexington Kentucky would rule.

PeteS - Just take a drive in the area you & your wife might like to settle and check out the condition of the trees,(potential work). Then check the local yellow pages for how many arborists or tree services there are,(competition). There are more things to consider but thats my .02 for now.

darkstar said:

Lexington Kentucky would rule.

Click to expand...

Is there another Lexington, KY that I don't know about?

I have thought about the same thing, opening a tree/landscape service near De. or down by Colonial beach in Va. But seems like those are not top areas where the people who own those homes would be willing to pay a fair price for the work. Half of those homes are empty most of the year and the ones that aren't ,are living there because it's cheap and won't be willing to come off that money!

If you're willing to move and want an area like that I would look into the outer banks down in the Carolinas, more money, more people and warmer year round.

I have an idea for a location to start up a business. It's a completely hypothetical scenario, but it may work really, really well for somebody.

Wanna hear it?

Location, Location, Location

Most new communities have very few large trees. An old established community preferably an upscale one, (money) and good business practices, along with the right equipment, and the right skills will prove successful no matter where you go. Good luck.

Thanks for all the feedback - you guys have been very helpful. Now all I have to do is procure some large equipment,a small loan, insurance, business cards, signs, fliers, a place to park and I'll be set . There's a couple inches of snow in jersey and more to come so, I'm sure that list will keep me occupied for a little while.

Treemachine, I'd like to hear your hypothetical scenerio - fire away. Any other opinions, advice and stories you guys have about starting your own companies would be helpful.

OK, hypothetical scenario. Suppose you were to seek out an established treecare business, and the owner felt he would be moving away sometime in the near future. The treeguy has been cultivating his clientele for, oh, let's make up a number.... 13 years.

So he's been in the business for thirteen years, is continuously booked, even through the Winter and has not had a break in the axction since 10 years ago when there was a really wicked snowstorm. The treeguy's clientele is over a thousand deep with all those people acting as his maketing force via their word of mouth, and in being repeat customers. The only advertising costs are business cards and estimate sheets.

Since this is 'hypothetical', let's make it juicy. Suppose that treeguy in his 13 years of work refused all work that was more than 4 minutes from his house, and let's go on to say that his chip dump sites are also within that 4 minute radius. He has tens of thousands of trees alone in the neighborhood behind him, but he ventures out into 4 distinct neighborhoods, all adjacent to each other.

What else could we do to make this fantasy picture more vivid? Theeguy works for a local brewpub (his only commercial client) and we'll say the arrangement is beneficial to all parties. The treeguy's mechanic is 1-1/2 minutes down the street. The auto electrician is three minutes the other way, 2 auto parts stores very close. What else? Treeguy has a running list of guys who want your firewood. The chips are always in demand. There are a number of parks, a num,ber of lakes and a major river, all within 5 minutes of home. The cost of living is low. He averages $500 a day.

Of course this is a scenario too good to be true, but IF you were able to dial into a cat such as this who would be willing to sell you his clientele, work one-on-one with you for a couple seasons, help you find nearby housing and get you fully dialled-in, up and running immediately and on the steep curve upward to being self-sustainable, would this be appealing?


Just curious.

Why do you ask TM? You going to sell your business?

Tm this situation sounds pretty appealing - nearly perfect. The only thing lacking is scantily clad ladies dragging brush and maybe an abundance of money trees in the greater Indiana area If your scenario is a reality I would definitely be interested, whether I could afford a buyout is another story.

It's all about keeping open to options. Pete is asking a question that many others ask, and there are opportunities out there that you may not have considered.

I pose this hypothetical scenario to open wider the scope of your vision; that your dreams are out there, somewhere, you just need to put out to the universe what it is that you want, be willing to pay the price to achieve that dream, and do what it takes to live it.

This goes for everyone, not just Pete.



Also, in my hypothetical scenario, the treeguy lives nearby a local university, so there are college babes in abundance and the 'hip' part of town is at the edge of his four neighborhoods where there are a high concentration of restaurants, bars, concert venues, hangouts where all the college babes go to party.

This is just a mental exercise. A situation like this is probably too good to ever be true.

This scenario that TM proposes is not uncommon in the lawn business. I have traded with and been given accts. by a few select companies in my area. It's not uncommon for guys to sell their accounts or even whole routes. Something to think about. Be weary of free accounts though. Make sure they're coming from a trusted source. You might be getting a free account, but there could be a reason it's free.